Sherily
asked
Sherrilyn Kenyon:
First I am a huge fan. I love all of your books, every single one of them, even the shorts that are in other books. I own every single release you have as Sherrilyn Kenyon. I am working on getting all of your other books under your other name. Which is your real name, Kimberly McGregor or Sherrilyn Kenyon? Just curious as to how those names came about and why you chose to have different names? Thank you :)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Aww thank you, sweetie. I've never written as Kimberly McGregor. I did write as Kinley MacGregor. Sherrilyn is my God-given (or mom-given) name and Kenyon is real.
As for the two names, I wrote and published Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy under my own name back in the 1980's and early 1990's, and was a bestselling author under it. Unfortunately, the market crashed in the mid 1990's and I had a four year involuntary hiatus where I couldn't sell novels no matter what I tried, even though I'd been a bestseller and had sold and published six books. It was a horrible time where I was homeless for a stint.
In 1997, I pitched two novels to an editor who'd been my agent back in the days when I'd been selling (ironically one was Night Pleasures and the other was a pirate novel). She passed on the Dark-Hunter series because there was no market for urban fantasy and I quote from her rejection: "no one wants to read vampires." She bought the pirate novel which became my Sea Wolves and asked if I would consider a pen name since it was a different genre than the one I was known for. She wanted a fresh start (that's a very common thing in publishing, especially back then) and I had no problem with it, so Kinley was born as my historical twin. While I continued to write the historicals, I kept nagging her to buy the Dark-Hunters, but she couldn't get them past her marketing team who continued to reiterate that paranormal/urban fantasy had no market and wouldn't sell.
In 1999, St. Martin's took a chance on those Dark-Hunter books and made an offer. But by then, Kinley MacGregor was a bestselling author and my publisher didn't want us to "taint" the MacGregor name with that urban fantasy series no one would buy and that they were convinced would flop. My editor at SMP was fine with that and said that she knew I still had a lot of fans from the 80's and 90's who remembered me as Kenyon and that she wanted me to return to my real name since I was returning to my original genres that I had started with. I agreed and so the DH books were brought out under my name. I worked my heinie off to make those books a success and thankfully, in spite of there not being a market at the time they were published and while others mocked and laughed, we (me and the fans) carved a niche and the books did not flop. As they say, the rest is history.
As for the two names, I wrote and published Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy under my own name back in the 1980's and early 1990's, and was a bestselling author under it. Unfortunately, the market crashed in the mid 1990's and I had a four year involuntary hiatus where I couldn't sell novels no matter what I tried, even though I'd been a bestseller and had sold and published six books. It was a horrible time where I was homeless for a stint.
In 1997, I pitched two novels to an editor who'd been my agent back in the days when I'd been selling (ironically one was Night Pleasures and the other was a pirate novel). She passed on the Dark-Hunter series because there was no market for urban fantasy and I quote from her rejection: "no one wants to read vampires." She bought the pirate novel which became my Sea Wolves and asked if I would consider a pen name since it was a different genre than the one I was known for. She wanted a fresh start (that's a very common thing in publishing, especially back then) and I had no problem with it, so Kinley was born as my historical twin. While I continued to write the historicals, I kept nagging her to buy the Dark-Hunters, but she couldn't get them past her marketing team who continued to reiterate that paranormal/urban fantasy had no market and wouldn't sell.
In 1999, St. Martin's took a chance on those Dark-Hunter books and made an offer. But by then, Kinley MacGregor was a bestselling author and my publisher didn't want us to "taint" the MacGregor name with that urban fantasy series no one would buy and that they were convinced would flop. My editor at SMP was fine with that and said that she knew I still had a lot of fans from the 80's and 90's who remembered me as Kenyon and that she wanted me to return to my real name since I was returning to my original genres that I had started with. I agreed and so the DH books were brought out under my name. I worked my heinie off to make those books a success and thankfully, in spite of there not being a market at the time they were published and while others mocked and laughed, we (me and the fans) carved a niche and the books did not flop. As they say, the rest is history.
More Answered Questions
The Window Seat
asked
Sherrilyn Kenyon:
Thanks for answering questions! :) Have the publisher changes in The League over the last twenty years (congrats on that anniversary!! :)) affected Thia's "timeline" of disappearing or will she still be MIA once you get back to the second generation? LOVE LOVE LOVE all your series and hope they all go on forever...except Nick's.... that one has to meet up with the DH some day! :)
Danielle
asked
Sherrilyn Kenyon:
Hi! I have to say, I'm a HUGE fan! Your books never fail to give me a new outlook on life and to treat everyone with kindness. They even make me cry on occasion (and that's not easy for me). I have read everyone of the Dark Hunterand the League, and ❤ them ALL. My question, or more like questions: is will Nero's story ever be told? Will he and Trajen be close as brothers again? Will Jayne and Hadrian's story be told?
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